PETER ALEXANDER: We're in the shadow of the Capitol right now, just outside the building here. On January 6, 2021, you posted a message immediately condemning the violence. You said, “what's happening in the Capitol right now must stop.” What message is Donald Trump, Governor, sending by promising to pardon the rioters who have been convicted if he wins?
KRISTI NOEM: I think each of those situations needs to be looked at separately. You can’t put a blanket approach.
ALEXANDER: But he hasn’t made that distinction, so you would disagree with him in pardoning all of them.
NOEM: I would say that every single one of those cases needs to be looked at specifically.
ALEXANDER: So let me ask you specifically about the hundred-
NOEM: What I have been very clear about is we don't want to see another January 6th again. We- nobody in the country wants to see another day like that again and I believe that Donald Trump- when he comes back to The White House and is in charge of this country, we’re going to have incredible opportunities to show that people in this country will be safer, that we'll have law and order back in our streets, if you look at one of the most violent areas of the country is often Democratic-run cities- sanctuary cities with an open border where we’re allowing migrants…
ALEXANDER: In fact, violent crime in the country is down 50% since Joe Biden took office, but specifically, just to get back to this topic of the rioters. Is Donald Trump wrong when he says he would pardon all of those who have been convicted in the January 6th attack.
NOEM: Each of those individuals needs to be looked at separately as far as what their role was and what was happening in that situation…
ALEXANDER: And the 132 of them who admitted to assaulting law enforcement officers, would you agree they should not be pardoned?
NOEM: I think that every one of those cases needs to be looked at individually,and if the January 6th-
ALEXANDER: And if they admitted to it, you would agree that that would be…
NOEM: I think that…yeah. This is what our judicial system is for. It's supposed to be the scales of justice, and Lady Justice is supposed to be blind.
ALEXANDER: Well, they went through the judicial system and he's offering to pardon them. So I guess the question is, would that be based on the grounds if they attcked law enforcement officers?
NOEM: That will be based on his prerogative and his decision when he looks at those cases. But what I’d say is we have a nation. We are a nation of laws and they need to be enforced and we have a president in The White House today that is ignoring federal law.
ALEXANDER: Let me ask…
NOEM: He is ignoring federal law and allowing people into this country that are incredibly dangerous. And there- just this week I think we had four different people that were attacked, or raped or murdered by illegal immigrants that have come in over our open border and that cannot continue to happen.
ALEXANDER: To be clear, as you know well, undocumented immigrants commit crimes at a much lower percentage than Americans do.